Process of obtaining sulfur, &amp;c., from furnace-gases.



F. R. CARPENTER.

PROCESS 0F OBTAINING SULFUR, 6m., FROM FURNAOE GASES.

APPLICATION FILED IAB. 17, 190e.

925,75 1. PatentaJune 22, 1909.

,UNITED sTAagasgrATENT ormoni.

FRANKLIN R. CARPENTER, OF DENIEER, COLORADO,'ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE i ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE AMERICAN AND STEEL ALLOYS COMPANY, A CORPORA- 'TION OI COLORADO.

PROCESS 0F OBTAINING- SULFUR, 85e., FROM FURNAGEGASIES. A

Specification of 'Letters Patent.

Patented .Tune 22, 1909.

lApplication led March 17, 1906.` Serial No. 306,691.

To all whom 'it may concern.:

Be it known'that I, FRANKLIN R. CARPEN- TER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Process of Obtaining Sulfur and other Substances from Furnace and other Gases, of which the following is a specification.

In the ealcining, roasting and smelting of suld ores, and especially in the raw or pyritic smelting process, vast quantities of snlfurons and other gases are evolved and discharged into the atmosphere where they are not only lost, but become very injurious to animal andvegetable life. These gases cannot, from their nature, be settled out from .'the other fumes in a dust chamber or filtered out in a bag house, or such otherfiltering devices. This is because they are gases and not solids. Reduced to solids their escape into the atmosphere may be prevented and they may be saved for further use in the arts. 4

According to my invention Ipass such gases through a reducing atmosphere,-as through or over a bed o glowing coke or other fuel, whereby some of them are reduced to solidsubstances which after cooling can be settled out in a settling chamber or Iiltered out in a bag house or other suitable means for separating solids from ases. Thus the gases from a furnace in whic sulfid ores are roasted or smelted may be assed through a reducingatmosphere where y the snlfurous gases are reduced to Isulfur which latter after cooling becomes solid and is then settled out in a settlingchamber and filtered out in a bag house or other suitable,

filter.- Ily passing these gases through or over beds of glowing coke or other similar substances sulfurous acid especially, along with such other gaseous substances that may be reduced by carbon will, upon cooling, become solids and may be filtered out as above described, while the carbonio acid, nitrogen, etc.. lare unaffected and pass on through the settling chamber and throughthe filtering means, but the sulfur and other solids which have been reduced from the fumes will either settle in the settling chamber or' be caught in I the filtering compartment or compartments 'incandescent coke w of the plant. This could not be done when the substances are in a aseous state.

In the accompanying rawing, Figure l is a diagram illustrating an apparatus which ma be em lo ed in carl inor outm rocess.

Fig. 2 illustrates a modification.

A, represents any ordinary furnace. As shown it is represented as a blast furnace, such as is commonly used for smelting pyritic 1ores.

l', B a down-comer leading to a dust cham- D is a reducing chamber located at the end of the dust chamber. The reducinv chainber, D, is of substantially the form nd size in cross section as the dust chamber from which it is partially separated by a wall, d,

through which there is an opening, d. .Ex--

tending rearwardly from the wall al, is a furnace grate, d3, of ordinary. construction which extends the full Width of the chamber and rearwardly to another wall, d4. This furnace grate is ada ated to surport a bed of lhich may e fed thereto from an ordinary bell-hopper, d5. Beneath the grate is located a twyer ortwyeres, d2, to be used from time to time as necessary to maintain the coke incandescent, and an outlet through which ash may be removed ma-y be provided. Beyond the Wall, d, are checkerwork partitions, d, of fire-brick. From the reducing chamber 'a continuation of structure forms a passage,E, of any desired length leadin The settling ciamber, F, is provided with any suitable or desired lter. As shown. the filter is formed of a cloth, f, arranged 1n a zigzag fashion across the chamber, the passage, E,.communicatin below the filter cloth w ile the outlet, f, to the chamber is located above it, and the latter is connected with an exhaust fan, G. l As shown in Fig. 1 the furnace gases are conducted from the dust chamber, C, to the reducing chamber, D, by an opening, d', by which they are conducted beneath the grate, but in Fig'. I have shown an opening, (Z7,

communicating with the space above theto a settling chamber, F.-

with the chamber leso 35 a smaller bulk and easily transported, and

can be subsequently used .as such or connace gases coming from the furnace, A,- and containing sulfurous oXid (SO2) are conducted directly tothe dust chamber, C, in

which is deposited the solid particles carried mechanically by the gases. From the dust chamber the gases are conducted through a reducing atmosphere as through or over in-A candescentcarbon in the reducing chamber,

` D, by which the sulfurous oXid is reduced.

. sulfurous oXid, Will be condensed and may be deposited to some extent, but generally it Will 'be found that the sulfur is carried along into the settling chamber and it is filtered out of the remaining gases by the cloth, f, said gases being discharged through the exhaust fan, G.

It will be seen that by my process I not only remove from furnace gases a deleterious body, but also by the same operation I obtain a product which has commercial Value.

It would bje impracticable to collect the sulfurous oXidfas such at the place Where the roasting andy smelting is done and then transport it to a place Where it can be sold,

and the same Would be the case if transformed into sulfuric acid, but by reducing the sulfurous oXid to sulfur it is reduced to verted into other things. While I have described the process as applied to gases comingv directly from a furnace, it is obvious that the sulfurous oxid mightbe concentrated before it is brought into contact with the incandescent carbon.

'l While I have described the process as especially applied to the reduction of sulfurous oXid and the collection'of sulfur obtained therefrom, the process may 'be employed for the reduction of other oxids which occur in furnace or other gases. v

I claim l. The process of purifying furnace gases and obtaining values therefrom'which' consists in separating from the gases solid particlesmechanically carried over With them, reducing the sulfur gases by passing them through a reducingatmosphere, causing the y reduced gases to be further heated to reduce subsidiary sultids, `condensing the reduced lsulfur by cooling the reduced gases and finally separating the sulfur from these gases.

2. The process of purifying furnace gases which consists in first separating from such gases the solid particles mechanically carried over With them, reducing the `sulfur gases by passing themthrough or over glowing carbon, from time to time admitting air to raise the carbon to incandescence, causing the reduced gases to be further heated to reduce subsidiary sulds, condensing the reduced sulfur by cooling the reduced gases, and finally separating the sulfur from these gases.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

Lnorn B. WIGHT, p WM. D. BAIDWIN. 

